<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Wild Eruption by TheCalicoDragon</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28736355">Wild Eruption</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCalicoDragon/pseuds/TheCalicoDragon'>TheCalicoDragon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dungeons &amp; Dragons (Roleplaying Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dwarves, F/M, Gen, Half-Elves, Half-orc, Halflings, Light Angst, M/M, Orcs, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Wild Eruption (Original Setting)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:02:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,510</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28736355</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCalicoDragon/pseuds/TheCalicoDragon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kinna has never left her home before. She's never had a reason to, until the Guardian died. She just hopes that her newfound sorcerous abilities will see her through the arduous journey ahead.</p><p>First thing's first: survive the voyage to Sheer Harbor.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keth (Original Character) &amp; Elias (Original Character), Keth (Original Character) &amp; Molly (Original Character), Kinna (Original Character) &amp; Ciaran (Original Character), Molly (Original Character) &amp; Elias (Original Character)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Kinna</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>"The Wilderness is not for the faint of heart. If the Beasts don't get you, the elves will - though some would argue that there is little difference, anymore. If you must leave the safety of the city walls, you had better hire a Ranger, or you won't come back alive."</p><p>Wild Eruption is a Dungeons &amp; Dragons fan novel featuring an original party of characters.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>It's probably just nerves</em>, Kinna told herself as she retched over the side of the ship from atop a stack of boxes that the captain had helped her up onto. Yes, just nerves, nothing more. All would be well once they set sail, and in the meantime, she just had to get the anxiety out of her system. Right?</p><p>"Alright there, little miss?" The captain - a human man in his early thirties with curly mop of brown hair - leaned on the rail near her, a bemused, piteous smile tugging at one corner of his mouth while the other side busied itself chewing tar.</p><p>Kinna spat into the harbor below and tried to wipe her nose on her sleeve with as much discretion as she could muster. "Fine!" she squeaked as she straightened up, flashing him a grin that she hoped didn't look as forced as it felt. "I'm swell!"</p><p>She watched as his dark brows knitted an inch closer together. "Yanno," he said, "I can hold the boat for you, if you wanna disembark."</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>The captain shrugged and scratched at the stubble on his jaw. "Just that there'll be a heap more where that came from once we set sail," he motioned with a dirty, weather-worn finger at her breakfast in the surf. "It's a long way from here to Sheer Harbor, and this is about as calm as the water's gonna get. You sure you don't wanna hire a Ranger instead? It'd keep your feet on the ground, and your lunch down, besides." He grinned at her. "I'd even be willing to give you, say... half of your money back for the canceled voyage, seeing as how I'm feeling nice."</p><p>Kinna chewed on her bottom lip and sunk into herself at the thought. "Um... no, no thank you, that won't be necessary," she said. "I'd rather get a little sick once in a while than travel on foot through the W-Wilderness. Besides, I wouldn't have enough money to hire a Ranger, anyway, with only half of my money back-"</p><p>"Well," the captain tilted his head, "<em>realistically</em>, more like a third - gotta cover costs, and all that."</p><p>"Oh, yes, of course, of course." She climbed down from the stack of boxes and looked a full three feet up at the captain, who must have been comfortable in the position he had taken, for he didn't move except to look down his nose at her. "And, um... either way, I feel completely safe in your capable hands, Mr. Calico."</p><p>He grimaced and rolled his eyes, leaning toward her against the railing with a smile that Kinna wasn't certain was genuine. "<em>Captain</em> Calico," he reminded her in a sweet tone. Then he winked at her and added, "But you can just call me 'Jack', little miss."</p><p>She blushed and nodded, busying herself with smoothing out a wrinkle on her dress. "Right, yes, of course, I'm sorry."</p><p>"That's quite alright." He pushed away from the railing and adjusted his patchwork tunic. "At any rate, we'll be shoving off soon. If you haven't already snagged yourself a bunk and made yourself comfortable below deck, you might as well do it now - save yourself some trouble this evening, when the boat's rocking in the waves."</p><p>Kinna's stomach did a half flip at the thought, but she managed to swallow down a dry heave. "Oh, yes, that's a good idea." She bent down and collected her bags, hugging the lot of them to her chest and casting a cheerful grin up at the captain. "Thank you again for transporting me."</p><p>He nodded at her. "No trouble, little miss - halflings hardly count toward the ol' girl's weight capacity, and it's easy to fit you in with the rest of the cargo, besides." He shook a finger in her face. "Just don't let me catch you smushed under a box down in the hold, you hear? A lot of the goods we're transporting could crush a tiny thing like you, if you go wandering when a choice wave hits the boat."</p><p>"Oh! That's a good point. I'll be careful!"</p><p>"Matter of fact, it's probably for the best if you don't go down into the hold at all," he added. "Just keep yourself to the crew quarters, the mess, and the top deck, and you'll be safe as a kitten in a soft feather bed."</p><p>"The crew quarters, the mess, and the top deck," Kinna repeated under her breath. "Got it."</p><p>Captain Calico gestured toward the stairs leading below deck, and Kinna scampered off without a word, jumping in alarm when he began to bellow orders to his crew.</p>
<hr/><p>It was cooler below deck, and a bit damp. The smell of mildew and foot fungus wafted into Kinna's nose every time she dared take a breath in the part of the ship which had been cordoned off and designated the crew's quarters. What's more, all of the cots and hammocks were peppered with stains from either mold or old bodily fluids that she tried her best not to think about. She lingered for a moment at the edge of the area, fingers clenched into the canvas of her two little bags until her knuckles turned white, and chewed on her lip to prevent herself from whimpering.</p><p>She hated this already. The grand adventure she had imagined when she had first set out from the village now reared an ugly head at her. What was she supposed to do, anyway? Was she even going in the right direction? What if one of the others found a suitable Guardian first? And, a more frightening thought: what if, when they did find one, they were never able to track her down to tell her to come home?</p><p>Had Sherry been better prepared for her journey, or Parkin? Had Filo? She wasn't sure. They all left with the same supplies as Kinna, and with equal blessings. More to the point, no one else wielded the kind of magic that she, Sherry, Parkin, and Filo now did. The other three all seemed excited enough when they parted ways in the town square. Determined enough.</p><p>But then, so had she. And now she was standing in the hull of a ship, packed and ready for the most important journey that anyone from her village had embarked upon since the Wild Eruption, and instead of feeling courageous, she felt terrified. She was even starting to cry, for pity's sake. Determined, indeed.</p><p>Where was she even supposed to look for a gold dragon, anyway?</p><p>"Ye alright, there, lass?" Kinna yelped and felt as if she had jumped out of her own skin. She hadn't seen him kneeling beside a cot near the back of the crew quarters, dim as the light was below deck. Now, of course, after he had already startled her, she could see him clear as day: a stocky dwarf with light, freckled skin, clad in greys and dark blues with a braided orange beard and green eyes that furrowed at her from beneath a loose hood.</p><p>"Ach, sorry," he said, "Didnae mean ta startle ye."</p><p>"No no no, it's okay, really," Kinna replied, fumbling to pick up one of the bags that she had dropped. "I just... I just didn't see you there."</p><p>He nodded at her. "Lookin' fer a place ta settle in?" He pointed at a cot near the entrance to the space. "Tha one's a bit less dirty, from what I saw. Still not the best, but better than the alternative, if ye ask me."</p><p>At last Kinna managed to make her trembling fingers cooperate long enough to seize the strap on her fallen bag, and she moved toward where he had indicated. "Thank you. Truly."</p><p>The dwarf shrugged and went back to rummaging through a pack of his own. "'S no problem. Glad ta help."</p><p>True to his word, the cot was cleaner than its counterparts. Kinna opened her pack, selected the blanket that she cared the least about, and laid it down first before beginning to unload the rest of her few belongings. "Are you a member of the crew?" she asked after a moment of silence. </p><p>"Not I," the dwarf said. "Just a traveler - like you, I'd reckon." </p><p>"That's nice. Where are you headed? Sheer Harbor?"</p><p>"For the time bein', sure."</p><p>She spun around, hands clasped in front of her. "Oh! Are you visiting family?"</p><p>The dwarf snorted with laughter. "Ach, no - The opposite, actually. I'm lookin' ta get as far away as I can. Sheer Harbor's just the first stop on tha' road, as far as I'm concerned." He buckled his luggage closed, slung an object that she couldn't quite make out in the dim light onto his back with a <em>thunk</em>, and started making his way out of the crew quarters.</p><p>"Oh..." Kinna pursed her lips and looked down at her feet as he passed her. "I'm sorry."</p><p>He paused and shrugged. "Don' be. I'm better off without 'em, trust me."</p><p>Better off without family. She couldn't even imagine. Memories began to flood unbidden into her mind, and she struggled to build a dam around them before they wept from her eyes. She'd only been away from home for a week, and already she missed it - the fields of flowers, the mountains on the horizon. Her family, her friends. Her little sister. It was all she could do to bear being away from them now, let alone having to consider the concept of leaving with no intent to return.</p><p>But that's what she was doing, wasn't it? She knew what she was getting into when she left. And if ever she was able to come home, she knew that she might return to a ruined town carpeted with graveflowers.</p><p>The dwarf recoiled an inch as she started to cry, guilt flashing across his face, and he took a step forward, setting down the heavy object from his back with another <em>thunk</em> as he knelt beside her. "Ach, lass, I didnae mean ta--"</p><p>"I'm okay!" Kinna yelped, and the dwarf jumped. She pulled another blanket from her pack and dabbed her eyes with it. "I'm sorry. I'm being silly."</p><p>He paused. "Ye got any friends in Sheer Harbor?"</p><p>Kinna sniffed. "No."</p><p>"What's yer name?"</p><p>"Kinna?"</p><p>He held up a hand to her. "Ciaran." When she pressed her tiny palm against his, he shot her a twinkling smile, the whiskers of his beard twisting upward. "Now ye've got at least one friend, aye?"</p><p>She laughed for the first time in days, and her face went beat red. "Thank you."</p><p>"Welcome." Ciaran released her hand and stood, lifting his gear and hefting it back over his shoulder. Now that her eyes had stopped watering, Kinna could see that the item was an ornate battle axe almost as tall as she was with a leather sheath slid over the blade and a belt affixed to both ends of the haft for easy transportation. "Stick close ta me, I'll keep ye happy as I can - and safe, besides." He turned to peer up the stairs leading to the deck. "Between you and me," he muttered, "I don' trust these men farther than I can throw 'em."</p><p>Kinna hopped to her feet, ready to follow him back outside. "Why's that? They seemed plenty nice to me."</p><p>Ciaran shot her a sideways glance that she had trouble reading. "I dunno," he replied. "Just somethin' about that Calico Jack don't sit right in me bones."</p><p>She couldn't imagine what he was talking about - the Captain seemed like a decent fellow, as far as she was concerned. Still, better not to argue with a brand new friend. She followed Ciaran back up the stairs and out into the noon sun, just in time to watch the ship begin to pull away from its moorings and out into the ocean.</p>
<hr/><p>Captain Calico Jack ran a tight ship, and his crew didn't pay Kinna much mind, so long as she stayed out from underfoot. That was fine, as far as she was concerned, because she was beginning to get a little annoyed at them as they continued to insist, day after day, that her sea legs were bound to come to her sooner or later, despite all evidence to the contrary. Far be it from Kinna to grow cross with anyone, she smothered the awful burgeoning desire to demand that they stop. No, that would be rude.</p><p>Her new friend was not of a similar mind. "Will ye shut yer great sodding pie hole and let the woman vom in peace?" Ciaran snapped at them once or twice. "It's been a bloody week - if it were gonna happen, it'd'ave happened already, and yer blasted patronizing isn't gonna settle her stomach."</p><p>"It's alright," Kinna piped up, her voice hoarse from retching. "They're just trying to help, right?"</p><p>The sailors - a crew as patchwork as Captain Calico's shirts and as colorful as the language they all favored - nodded and laughed. "Yes, of course! Just trying to help."</p><p>Ciaran snorted at them. "If ye wanna help, go fetch the lass some water, or some mint, if ye have it."</p><p>Captain Calico Jack tsked as he passed them by. "This is a cargo ship, Mr. Silverlord, not a pleasure cruise. You're both lucky that we're equipped to take on passengers at all - don't be ungrateful."</p><p>Kinna's stomach dropped, and she spun around holding up her hands. "Oh, no no no, I'm not ungrateful - we're not ungrateful!" She managed a weak smile and a curtsy at the captain and his crew. "Thank you for the encouragement, gentleman. It is much appreciated."</p><p>They laughed and bowed at her before resuming their various duties and leaving Kinna to her illness. She went back to dry heaving, and Ciaran just glowered at them from his supportive perch nearby.</p><p>Night wasn't much better. Laying down to sleep made it feel as though the world was spinning and dropping out from beneath her until she once again felt ill. She was glad that she had claimed a cot so close to the door of the crew quarters for the multiple trips above deck she required in the wee hours to toss her supper into the waves. When she did manage to fall asleep, the night shift woke her every now and again with their raucous laughter as they drank and played some complicated dice game or other. They kept Ciaran up, too - she could tell from the grumbles and growls from his bunk.</p><p>Worst of all, it was dark on the ship. Very, very dark, as no lights were permitted above deck after sundown. Among his human crew, Captain Calico employed two tieflings, who took turns spending their nights in the crow's nest, scanning the horizon for danger. Kinna had heard stories of the cat-like night vision of the Planetouched, but hadn't encountered any of their kind until she began her journey away from home. It wasn't until she lit a lantern to bring up with her for a late-night chumming that she understood, first hand, how devastating sudden light could be to eyes better suited for darkness. The tiefling on duty cried out and shouted at her to snuff the lantern, and she could hear him mumbling curses at her from above as he rubbed the spots from his vision.</p><p>Kinna hated the dark. Childish though she knew her phobia was, she had never managed to grow out of it. The dark hid things; it muffled voices and let frightening visions lurk within its shadowed pools. It played tricks on her mind, made her see and feel and hear things that were not real - could not be real. <em>It's just the wood shifting</em>, Kinna told herself one night as she fought to keep her eyes crammed shut and what remained of her supper down. <em>It's not a Beast. It's not a ghost. It's not muttering, or humming, or singing...</em></p><p>But it <em>sounded</em> like singing. And it had happened every single night since they had first set sail. No one else seemed to notice it or pay it any mind, and when she had gathered the courage to ask Captain Calico whether his ship was haunted, he had laughed her off without giving her an answer, and she was forced to play off her question as if she had intended it to be in jest to save face.</p><p>It was coming from the cargo hold. No one was allowed down there, except the sailors, and they only had reason to enter when they needed some supply or other that was stashed there.</p><p>Kinna pulled her blanket up over her head and curled into a ball on her cot as the mournful sound continued. Maybe Captain Calico's warning to her about a box flattening her in the cargo hold was based in fact. Maybe some other unlucky halfling or gnome had been crushed there previously, and perhaps their ghost had seen fit to haunt her in the night.</p><p>She had to know for sure. She had to, or it would drive her mad. Kinna lay frozen in her cot for another hour, trying to make a decision. Her heart raced at the thought of disobeying the Captain's order to stay out of the hold until her indecision paralyzed her from nose to toes. At last, the insistent melody instilled her with enough courage to sit up. Then, a few moments later, to put on her slippers and stand. Then, after several additional minutes of silent hesitation and panic, to drag out her pack and rummage around inside.</p><p>A moment later, her trembling fingers produced the oiled leather pouch that the town sage had gifted her. She opened it, selected a pebble and a pinch of the glowing moss that grew in the caves near the village, and pushed the pouch and her bag back under her cot before darting out of the crew quarters and toward the stairs leading to the hold. When she was sure she was out of direct sight, she stared down at the materials in her hands.</p><p><em>You can do it</em>, she urged herself. <em>You've done it before, and you know it isn't hard. Besides, a little light can't hurt.</em></p><p>She closed her eyes and felt the freckles on her cheeks heat up. Then she took a deep breath, rubbed the moss across the pebble, and muttered a word in draconic. The stone began to shine with a bright golden light, which Kinna willed to dim before it woke anyone around the corner. Beaming with pride and holding her makeshift candle aloft in one palm, Kinna approached the stairs and started making her way down.</p><p>The second step creaked when she stepped on it and almost made her cry out in terror. She looked back toward the slumbering crew. None had awoken, as far as she could hear. The singing had stopped, but before Kinna could turn around and decide that she was just going mad after all, it picked back up again. Now more certain than ever, and more terrified of what she might find, she pressed forward, trying to ignore her cottonmouth. Hugging the wall in the hopes that the structural stability there would make the planks a bit quieter, she continued her descent.</p><p>By the time she reached the bottom, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the muffled sound was singing. A rich yet hoarse tenor echoed across the crates toward her, loud enough to carry but soft enough that Kinna suspected the singer's intended audience was himself alone. She couldn't quite make out all the words, but could tell that he was singing of stars and beautiful women, of good conversation and better company. Of home. Emboldened and mystified, Kinna began the process of navigating her way through a veritable maze of crates.</p><p>At the back of the ship, hidden behind a wall of boxes and barrels, stood a single-cell brig. It smelled of refuse and the bars were rusty. Within the brig sat a pale man, his throat and wrists bound in steel cuffs which had been bolted to the wall and were held closed with heavy padlocks. His eyes were closed, and his head lilted to one side as though he was half asleep, but his mouth moved to sound out every murmured note of the melody he managed to croak out. His long black hair had been tamed into a braid once, long ago, but it had since fallen into wild disarray. The parts of his face that were not covered in an unkempt black beard were marked with bruises and scrapes, and the clothing covering his lank, emaciated body - a once-white cotton shirt, a grey tweed vest, and a pair of dark pants - was utterly destroyed with rips and dubious stains. </p><p>Kinna's first reaction was one of pity. Her second, upon noting his pointed ears, was striking fear. <em>What is a creature like an</em> elf<em> doing here, of all places?</em> she thought, her hand too slow to stifle the tiny gasp that escaped her lips.</p><p>The elf's eyes flew open - dark, feral, and reflective in the soft glow of her magic pebble - and found Kinna, pinning her in place before she could hide even as he squinted into the light. They stared at one another for a moment. Then he pointed at her with one manacled hand.</p><p>"Unless I'm sorely mistaken," he said, "I get the impression that you're not a member of the crew." Curious - now that he was speaking rather than singing, she realized that he spoke the common tongue without an accent, a feat that not even Kinna could muster. She didn't even know that elves bothered to learn common, much less speak it with such eloquence.</p><p>Kinna licked her parched lips, but her tongue might as well have been sandpaper. "Um... N-no, I'm not. I'm... I'm just... passing through?"</p><p>He continued to stare at her, and cracked a smile. "I suppose, then, that the good captain didn't warn you not to come down here?" The way he spat the words "good captain" like venom made Kinna's blood freeze.</p><p>"Oh! Um... No, he... he did. Warn me, that is." She took a step back, clutching the pebble to her chest until the light was all but snuffed behind her fingers. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be here. I'll go-"</p><p>"No!" the elf cried, his voice cracking. He lurched forward and almost throttled himself on his collar as the chains held him back. "No, please, don't go. Please." He wheezed a laugh. "I know I must look beastly, and I know the reputation of my elven ancestry precedes me. But, please, I mean you no harm."</p><p>Kinna searched his face for answers. He looked sincere - what's more, he looked frightened. More frightened than she was, even. In the darkness, she thought she even saw tears begin to well up in his eyes, though that could have just been her imagination, or a clever trick to win her pity. Truth be told, she couldn't tell if his passion was genuine, or if it was rooted in something much more savage.</p><p>"Please," he whispered after a moment of silence passed between them. "If you do nothing else at all before you leave, then..." He paused and swallowed hard. "Then at least tell me the date."</p><p>She blinked. What a strange thing to ask. "It's... today is the 5th of Apis, in the year 418?"</p><p>Silence. The elf didn't move or breathe. "... Sorry," he said, "4<em>18</em>?"</p><p>"Um... Yes?"</p><p>Kinna watched as he began to shake. He ground his teeth, and when he drew in a deep, ragged breath, she realized he had begun to sob. </p><p>"Two <em>years</em>?" was all he managed to whimper.</p><p>The elf continued to weep until she began to doubt whether he remembered she was still there. "Um... Are... Are you? A member of the crew?"</p><p>He sniffed and took another deep breath, clearing his throat, his mouth set in a grim line. "No. No, I am not."</p><p>She chewed on her bottom lip and took a tentative step forward as he worked to compose himself.</p><p>"Who... Who are you?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Keth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Keth loves the Wilderness, in a way. For all of the horrors that lurk within its tangled depths, she has seen equal amounts of beauty. That doesn't make her any less wary of it, though, and she is happy to impart her wisdom and services as a Ranger unto any overconfident merchant or noble that has reason to leave the safety of the city walls.</p><p>She just hopes that her two newest charges don't get her killed before she can collect her payment.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>"The Wilderness is not for the faint of heart. If the Beasts don't get you, the elves will - though some would argue that there is little difference, anymore. If you must leave the safety of the city walls, you had better hire a Ranger, or you won't come back alive."</p><p>Wild Eruption is a Dungeons &amp; Dragons fan novel featuring an original party of characters.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="zw-paragraph">Keth knew that she wasn't exactly likable. Even if she hadn't been possessed with a better than average personal intuition, her clients had told her as much over the years, as though they expected to be paying her for good company in addition to her services as a Ranger. One of them had even tried to pay her extra to smile. She declined the coin and made it a point to scowl for the remainder of the trip.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Her kinsmen liked her, though - perhaps because all of them were almost as stubborn and stoic as she. They didn't mind that she was a Half, and treated her with the same respect that they would any other person of orcish descent. They understood how dangerous and cruel the Wilderness could be, but loved it all the same, just like she did. Better still, they could commiserate with her about the foolishness of the cityfolk that their kind ferried from town to town. After all, Ziva was a good listener, but wasn't much for conversation.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Perhaps all of that was why Keth had decided to stay this time around.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">It wasn't her first time traveling with this particular band of Rangers. After a positive chance meeting with them a few years ago, she made it a habit to seek them out for a few months each year - once to breed Ziva, and a few months later for a longer stint, when the aurochs' pregnancy was far enough along that traveling alone became dangerous. Even so, past experiences made Keth flighty in large groups, and she left as soon as the calf could be transitioned to a surrogate.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">But she'd be a liar if she said that the band hadn't earned her trust. Certain members even more so.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"We should get ready to leave. They'll be opening the gates soon," Morokha said, already beginning the process of tearing down and packing the tent that he had offered to share with Keth the night before. "I'll let you know before I bring the canvas down."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Why?" Keth emerged from her sleeping furs, pining for the loss of their warmth as the morning-chilled spring air struck her skin and sent goosebumps cascading down her spine.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Morokha shrugged. "I know you like your privacy," he said, gesturing at her nude torso.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Keth allowed herself a smirk. "After last night?" She elbowed him in the thigh as he shuffled past her. "I think that's a moot point."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">He grunted and ruffled her hair in retaliation. "You know what I mean."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Point being, we've camped far enough out of sight of the wall that the only people likely to see me are the ones that are already in the know."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Fair enough. I just wanted to give you the option." Morokha leaned down from his great hulking height and touched his forehead to hers, and she rumbled with content.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"I'm going to miss this," she said as he brought the canvas down.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Miss what?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"This." Keth gestured between them and began rummaging around her pack for a tunic. "I don't know. I never thought I'd like the idea of being... <em>domestic</em>, but..."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Morokha was silent for a moment. "You know," he said, "There's something to be said for strength in numbers. There are a lot of us here, and I think we both know that anyone in this band would kill for you. You can trust us to keep you safe."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">She stared into the middle distance for a moment, her optimistic and pessimistic sides wrestling for dominance while her intuition watched and shrugged at her.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"... I trust <em>you</em>, Moro," Keth said. "I trust the band. But them?" She pointed at the wall, just visible in the distance through the canopy. "I'd sooner trust an elf."</p><hr/><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">The clientele that awaited the band's services were just like every other group that Keth had ever ferried: naïve to the ways of the Wilderness, and convinced that the presence of Rangers in their midst rendered them immune to the dangers of the world outside the city walls. Most of them were merchants who had made similar treks before, which just made their irreverent attitudes all the more frustrating. A few clients appeared to be of noble birth, traveling on some diplomatic errand or other, no doubt. Keth often wondered what was important enough for nobles to risk their lives traveling away from the safety of an idyllic little town like Ironriver, across the Wilderness, and into the overcrowded mess that was Sheer Harbor, just to travel back again a week or so later.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">The woman in the cloak was one of those, to be certain. She looked too delicate to be part of the working class, and though she took care to hide her clothing beneath a sensible waterproof cloak (which she had just purchased, judging by the lack of wear and tear), it was obvious to Keth that her garments were made of the kind of fine, flowing fabrics that the nobility preferred. She carried a pack that was far too small to be of any practical use, and had not even made an attempt at arming herself with so much as a dagger. At least she had gathered her voluminous umber curls up into a high braid to keep out of the way for travel, and was not riding sidesaddle - that alone gave Keth hope, though the woman's flighty attitude and tendency to keep away from the rest of the gathered group still concerned her.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Perhaps not so much as the man in red, though.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Keth had seen his type before. Fancy, overconfident, excited to "venture out into the unknown", and prone to breaking down into shrieking sobs at the first sign of a Beast. He had worn his Good Clothes - a long, red vest patterned with swirls of deep red and thin lines of gold over a white shirt - which would soon be splattered and ruined with mud, and if <em>that</em> didn't cause him to whine for the rest of the journey to Sheer Harbor, then the poor state of his hair by the end of the trip was certain to elicit complaints. After all, it was clear he had put a lot of effort into conditioning and styling the wild sandy-blond curls that brushed his shoulders and smelled of sandalwood. He was too loud, too flamboyant, too impressed with himself. By the time they reached their destination, Keth was sure that he would fling himself at the gates as if Ziva had been biting at his ankles the whole journey.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Idiots like these had a knack for getting themselves killed - or worse, getting their Rangers killed.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"We'll have to keep a closer eye on those two, hm?" Keth muttered to Ziva as she finished brushing out her coat. The aurochs grunted in what Keth deemed assent, and then the beast busied herself with the contents of her feed bag again.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Keth!" She looked up from her task to see the band leader, Bardam, riding toward her upon his steer. Ziva let out a bellow at their approach, and Keth had to smack her with the flat side of the brush to keep the cow from coming to her defense like she was a calf.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Sir?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Bardam gestured toward the group of clients. "You want to go over the rules?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Keth frowned. "You sure you want <em>me</em> doing that? I'm not exactly the coddling type, and I've scared people off before."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Bardam nodded. "You know the rules as well as anyone else - maybe better, seeing as how you've traveled alone for so long." He grinned at her. "Besides, these cityfolk could do with a healthy dose of fear before we get moving."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Suit yourself," Keth replied with a shrug, and then pointed at the nobles she had been eyeing. "But when those two pack up to leave and take their money with them, don't say I didn't warn you."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"A <em>damn</em> shame, I'm sure," Bardam snorted. Keth chuckled and packed away Ziva's grooming brush. She saddled up, approached the cityfolk, and whistled between her tusks to get their attention.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Alright, listen up," she declared in the common tongue when they quieted their chatter and attended. "The journey we are about to embark on is the most dangerous, foolhardy thing you'll ever do. The Wilderness is every bit as treacherous as you've heard; what the Wild Eruption did out there, beyond the walls, is nothing short of a cataclysm. Some of you have been out there, seen it." Keth leaned back in her saddle. "I don't much care about that - as far as I'm concerned, all of you could do with a reminder.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"A hundred feet beyond the wall, the Wilderness begins. It is a labyrinthine tangle of trees, vines, and leaves the likes of which are so dense as to block out the sun, in some stretches. Do not stop, unless a Ranger gives you permission; the plants grow quickly, and some of them like to eat people that pause to rest. Do not step so much as a toe outside of our ring of protection; your survival requires that you assume that every shrub, bush, and blade of grass hides a Beast within."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Keth gestured toward the band gathering behind her. "You have hired us as your Rangers. My orcish kin and I call the Wilderness our home - we live and die outside the walls, and we know how to defend ourselves and others. But, make no mistake: we cannot absolutely guarantee your protection. Every Ranger - no matter how good they are - has lost people just like you to the Wilderness before." She narrowed her eyes at the cityfolk. "If you cannot come to terms with your own mortality, I suggest you return to the safety of your homes and cower under your beds, where the Beasts can't get you."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">One small merchant family began shuffling their feet, and after a moment of discussion, they turned their cart of wares around and started back down the road toward the town in the distance. To Keth's surprise, however, the two nobles did not so much as flinch.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Right," she continued. "Rules. Number one: you leave the aurochs be, if you know what's good for you. Don't touch them, don't approach without its Ranger's go ahead, and gods help you if you try to take something from one of our packs. You think Beasts are bad, you ain't seen how ornery a bull or a cow can be."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">As if on cue, Ziva let out a bellow. The man in the red vest raised his eyebrows and tried to stifle a smile.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Something funny?" Keth asked.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">He nodded and stopped bothering to hide his expression. "Yes," he admitted, "though not because I think you were joking."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Hrmph." Somehow, Keth hated that answer more than if he had just lied. "Number two: as your Rangers, you are paying us to protect you, guide you, and shoulder the burden of our journey. We will do everything in our power to defend you from the creatures that lie in wait between here and Sheer Harbor." She pointed a gloved finger at the remaining group. "Do NOT make our jobs harder than they already are. Understood?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Yes, sir," the cityfolk replied. A shiver of relief passed through Keth, as it always did at the confirmation that her clients could not determine her true sex. Thank the gods she had been born with so few human feminine qualities.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Last thing." She leveled them with a no-nonsense stare. "You see something, you tell a Ranger. Immediately. Doesn't matter if it turns out to be a rabbit or a bird or something equally harmless - better for you to be mistaken and look a fool than for you to keep your mouth shut and have it cost your life. Beasts are not like animals. A good deal of them are a lot smarter, and all of them would just as soon kill you as look at you. Got it?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Yes, sir."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Keth seized Ziva's reins and turned her toward the gate, shouting over her shoulder, "We stop at noon and twilight. You gotta piss, you'd better tell someone before you're exploding so that we can find a safe place to break."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Bardam was staring at her, his arms crossed, while Morokha stifled a laugh beside him.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"I did warn you," she said in orcish as she passed.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Oh, I'm not upset," the band leader replied. "I just have to keep up certain appearances while the cityfolk are watching." He clapped a hand on Keth's arm. "Consider yourself hereby signed up for going over the rules henceforth."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Keth snorted. "Gods - is it too late to change my mind and leave?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"No one will hold you back," Morokha said, "but we'd all be sad to see you go."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">She glanced over her shoulder at the cityfolk as the rest of the Rangers started to encircle them and direct them toward the gate. "Guess I'll have to stick around, then."</p><hr/><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">The road from Ironriver to Sheer Harbor was little more than a trail stamped into the earth and had only become so "developed" due to Rangers trekking through on a regular basis. All attempts to widen the road or add cobblestones had been for naught, as was the case with almost every so-called road that Keth had ever heard of or traveled upon; if the elves didn't take offense and pick off the paving crew one by one until the rest fled, then the Wilderness was quick to reclaim that which it had lost. Every now and again, Ziva's cloven hooves would tap on the remnants of the cobbles and bricks, but more often than not, the Rangers were forced to navigate using only their acute sense of direction.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Meanwhile, their patrons appeared to be oblivious to the dangers around them, despite Keth's warning. Where they saw a pretty bush full of fragrant flowers, Keth saw the broken twigs at its base where a large predator had wormed its way through to mask its scent. Where they spotted a grove of trees hung with moss-covered vines and marveled at the serene silence within, Keth spotted tiny bones scattered in the foliage below, and steered her charges away for fear of assassin vines. The cityfolk spent the first day of their week-long journey to Sheer Harbor chatting and admiring the scenery as though they were walking through a garden and not a world overrun with dangers.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">The man in red had nudged his horse closer to that of the cloaked noblewoman, and was smiling at her. Keth was willing to bet that the expression was predatory, and resolved to keep a closer eye on him, come nightfall.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Might I ask your name?" he asked the noblewoman.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">She roused from staring into the middle distance, as she had been for the past hour or so, and tried to suppress a wave of confusion from crossing her face with a returned, demure smile.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Molly," she replied in a voice almost as delicate as her physicality. "Molly Thunderforge."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">He offered her a hand. "Elias Sydio. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Thunderforge."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"The pleasure's all mine, Mister Sydio," she said, and Keth watched her shake his hand with a strength and confidence she had not expected. Judging by the subtle shift in Elias' expression - no more than the twitch of a pierced eyebrow - Molly had taken <em>him</em> by surprise as well.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Is this your first time beyond the walls?" he asked.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"It's my third, actually." She shook her head and tucked a stray lock of hair back into the elaborate braid from whence it came. "Though, admittedly, it is the first time I'm making the journey alone - present company excluded. And you?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Elias shrugged. "I've been around a bit - my line of work takes me interesting places."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Really? And what line of work would that be?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Entertainment." He patted an instrument case affixed to his horse's saddle. "A good minstrel is quick to learn that staying in the same place for too long makes people bored of you." He flashed another grin at her. "And you, lady? What sort of business brings a lovely young woman such as yourself from a place as idyllic as Ironriver, through the Wilderness, and all the way to Sheer Harbor, by yourself? Family?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"After a fashion, yes," she said. "Family <em>business</em>, if I had to say."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">He shook his head. "You don't. I'm just the curious sort, is all."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"As am I."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Ah, we've already found something in common!" His eyes flickered in Keth's direction, and he leaned forward in his saddle, mischief in his hazel eyes. "And what about you, good sir?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Keth straightened in her saddle. "What about me?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Are you the curious sort as well? I gather you must be, judging by your keen interest in our conversation."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">She snorted to mask her surprise - she hadn't taken him for the perceptive type. "What's that old saying about curiosity and cats?" Keth shook her head and tapped Ziva with her heels to urge her farther up the path. "I prefer to keep my nose out of trouble."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Never a bad idea either!" she heard Elias proclaim with a laugh. "See? We're friends already, the three of us!"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">That elicited a giggle from Molly, and Keth rolled her eyes until they were apt to fly out the back of her skull.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"No need to be hasty, Mister Sydio," Molly said. "It's a long way from here to Sheer Harbor, after all. Let's start with acquaintances, shall we?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Keth didn't bother to suppress a snort of laughter.</p><hr/><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">They didn't encounter any danger until the second night of their journey.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"The good news is that there's a clearing nearby that looks large enough to house the whole caravan," one of the scouts reported to Bardam. Her aurochs was snorting and dancing with unease, such that Keth had to dismount to help her calm the beast down.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Bardam raised an eyebrow. "And the bad news?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"If Farn's behavior isn't enough of an indicator," she replied, gesturing at her bull, "I think we have company. We found fresh tracks farther up the trail."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">The rest of the cattle were starting to rile as well. Keth had heard of magics that were able to alert the caster of danger, but as far as she was concerned, nothing was quite as effective as the instincts of a herd animal. Even Ziva was beginning to follow suit. "We should make for the clearing," Keth suggested. "It'll be easier to defend from a position where the underbrush isn't blocking line of sight."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"My thoughts exactly," Bardam said.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">They scattered in silence, passing the word along to the rest of the band in murmurs as they began to push the caravan to pick up the pace. With any luck, they would arrive at the clearing before anything nasty came after them, and long before the cityfolk ever became aware of the danger. The last thing they needed was a panicked stampede.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Molly stood near the edge of the group, exerting an expert's control on her flighty horse as she peered into the twisted, darkening forest beyond. If she knew that she was lagging behind, she didn't seem to care, curiosity overpowering self-preservation. Keth cursed under her breath and rode Ziva toward her.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Keep moving," Keth growled.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">The noblewoman glanced at her and then nodded in the direction she had been staring. "There's something out there."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"That's why you need to <em>keep moving</em>," she snarled.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Molly steeled herself and turned her horse's head back toward the caravan, urging it onward at a canter to make up the lost distance.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">The Beast was on her before she made it half-way.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">A flurry of snarling teeth, bristling fur, and jagged spines sprang from the forest around the caravan. Dire wolves - a whole pack of them, each one bigger than the last, and the smallest the size of a horse. They lunged at the caravan from all sides, the rumbling of baritone howls intermixed with the shrieks of terrified cityfolk and a series of commands in orcish. One of them had targeted Molly's horse as a straggler; it bowled her steed over and ripped out its throat while Molly struggled to free her trapped leg from beneath the horse's overturned flank</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Keth already had a hand on her longbow. She nocked an arrow and clenched her thighs against Ziva, bellowing to lend her voice to the cow's furious lowing.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Away!" She loosed a shot at the creature, sticking its shoulder. It snarled, rounded on Keth, and lunged.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">For all of Ziva's posturing, she was still a prey animal at heart, and Keth couldn't blame her for startling at the sight of a predator that was a full foot taller than her, its teeth already red with horse blood, bounding in her direction. The aurochs bellowed and reared, and Keth lost her grip, falling backward to the ground. While she heaved a breath to reclaim the wind that had been knocked out of her, Ziva came to her senses and placed herself between Keth and the dire wolf, thrashing her horns in challenge.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">The dire wolf backed away, and in the moment it took Keth to scramble to her feet and nock another arrow, she watched out of the corner of her eye as it weighed its options. The flicker of its eyes toward the rest of its pack told Keth that it knew its fellows were too distracted with the rest of the caravan to help it deal with Ziva. A glance in Molly's direction said "I've already made a catch - better to cut my losses and run."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Ziva, <em>charge it</em>!" Keth shouted, loosing another arrow. The Beast dodged to the side at the last second, seized Molly's shoulder in its jaws as the bolt embedded into the earth, and began dragging her away from Ziva's thrashing head into the forest.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Keth turned her gaze toward the caravan. The cityfolk were screeching and clambering into or on top of some of the merchant wagons. A few of the braver ones were attempting to lend their aid to the Rangers as they fought off five other dire wolves. One of the Beasts was already down, but it had taken two Rangers with it. The nobleman in red - Elias - had broken away from the rest, and was riding his horse away from the fight and into the forest like a gods damned fool. He caught sight of Keth and swerved toward her, pulling his horse to a stop just long enough to shout, "Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to earn your pay, <em>Ranger</em>?" before urging his horse at a full gallop through the underbrush after Molly.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Snarling a string of expletives, Keth whistled for Ziva to meet her halfway, mounted, and charged after Elias.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">The dire wolf tore through bushes and over fallen logs, an easy trail to follow in its careless escape. Ziva barreled through the remaining foliage while Keth struggled to keep sight of both the creature and the fool who had run after it. She caught glimpses of the Beast through the trees now and again, but found it was easier to navigate to the sound of Molly's agonized screams; the noblewoman seemed to have enough wits about her to scream a clear "THIS WAY!" every now and again, pain fueling the strength of her voice, rather than wasting her breath on unintelligible wails.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Still, the dire wolf was fast, and more agile in the tangled overgrowth, and Molly's cries grew quieter and quieter. The last clear view Keth got of them was when the Beast broke from the treeline to lope across the remains of an ancient rope bridge spanning a ravine. A paw broke through one of the slats, causing it to yelp in terror, but it reached the other side without further incident and vanished into the woods. Keth pulled Ziva to a screeching halt, Elias following suit from where he had fallen in behind her.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">There was a beat of silence. Before the rage and sorrow in Keth's heart could boil over in the shape of the word "fuck", a shimmering blue light erupted from the trees just beyond the bridge, a thunderous crack accompanying it. The dire wolf yowled, and a second later, Molly limped out of the underbrush. Her dress was torn, her body was battered and scrapped, her hair was tattered and filled with sticks and leaves. One hand was clutching her wounded shoulder, the other was swirling with luminescent steam. She was mere feet away from the bridge when the dire wolf - its fur stood on end and one side of its face blackened and smoking - emerged behind her and pounced, throwing her down. The back of her head hit the earth, and she went limp beneath the Beast.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Handle the dog!" Keth's heart skipped a beat as she watched Elias streak past her and begin to cross the bridge. His horse whinnied and danced in place where he had left it behind Ziva. "Keep it off of me!"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Handle the-? Fuck!!" she dismounted, grabbed a pair of short swords from one of Ziva's packs, and seized the aurochs by one horn. "Do NOT follow me. Understand? If you fall into the ravine, I will climb down there, cook your steaks, and eat them."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Ziva mooed at her in offense, but did not follow when Keth chased Elias across the crevasse. She nocked an arrow and called out to the Beast, so that it would know who had struck it when the missile plunged into its side. Sure enough, the dire wolf stumbled from the force of the impact, snarled at Keth, and paid no attention to Elias as he skidded on his knees the last few feet to Molly's unconscious form.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Preparing another arrow, Keth watched Elias from around the creature's hulking form as it stalked toward her. His hands lit up with a soft golden glow that Molly's body absorbed when his palm hovered above her wound, and she gasped and sat bolt upright as the magic stitched her injuries.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"You're alright," Elias said. "Just take it slow."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">There was a ring on Molly's left hand that was glowing blue, and the wild look of determination on her face was not the expression of a woman who intended to 'take it slow'. She glared up at the dire wolf, traced a symbol in the air with a finger, and hissed something in a language that Keth couldn't understand. A jolt of blue energy skittered forth from the ring and struck the dire wolf, an arcing tether of lightning between them that pulsed every few seconds.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Keth hit it again with another arrow and went to nock a third. She watched as the Beast danced away from the electricity still shocking it, as it lowered its head and glanced at Molly - a terrifying specter crackling with lightning as Elias helped her to her feet - and then at Keth, on the bridge, alone. <em>Path of least resistance</em>, Keth realized, and had just enough time to draw a short sword before it charged her.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">The ancient ropes began to crack beneath the Beast's weight, and a few of the slats plummeted down into the chasm as the dire wolf fell on Keth with its full weight, tearing into her with a snarl. She tried to gasp in pain, but it had her pinned, one massive paw pressing the air from her chest, the hand carrying her sword trapped between a claw and the wooden plank beneath it. Across the gap, Ziva bellowed in rage, but did not attempt to cross the bridge. Blackness swam at the edges of Keth's vision.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">She would not be bested by this creature - not because of a couple of foolish cityfolk that didn't follow her fucking rules.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Elias was shouting something at the dire wolf, his words charged with magical energy that made the Beast flinch and turn its attention away from mauling Keth. Molly stalked toward it, hand raised, and pushed, sending another skittering jolt of electricity through the humid night air and into the wolf's body. The paw pinning Keth's sword arm moved, and she grunted, slashing up at its belly from underneath.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">The dire wolf shrieked, leapt off of Keth, and backed up onto solid land, blood blossoming across its fur. Its pupils were pinpricks, and it had tucked its great tail between its legs. Its weight had taken its toll on the bridge; Keth could hear more ropes snapping every second as she pulled herself to her feet. She roared a battle cry at the Beast and sprinted toward it, planting her feet on solid ground a second before the bridge collapsed behind her. The dire wolf turned to flee into the forest, came face-to-face with Molly, thought better of that particular route, and streaked past Elias instead, dodging the slash of a thin sword he drew from his belt as it passed him.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Yeah! <em>Run</em>, you overgrown, throw rug!" he shouted.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">There was another pulse across the lightning tether, and the Beast collapsed into a thorn bush, its body motionless save for the crackling of electricity cascading across its fur.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">The three of them stood there for a moment, only Ziva's mournful lowing and the sound of millions of night insects to break the silence. Keth breathed in gasps, her body throbbing where the Beast had mauled her, and her legs felt like gelatin. Molly looked about as bad as Keth felt, and Elias was shaking like a leaf.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Don't suppose," Keth said between deep breaths, "you've got anymore of that healing magic, do you?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">The two cityfolk startled when Keth spoke, and tore their eyes away from the hulking corpse to look at her. Elias grit his teeth and shook his head. "I'm afraid not," he replied. "I'm sorry. I didn't have much to begin with, and I used the last of it on Miss Thunderforge." He glanced at the ring on her finger, no longer sparking or glowing. "Er, rather, <em>Mrs</em>. Thunderforge."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Molly laughed at him in exasperation. "Disappointed, are you?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Not really." He shrugged. "You already made it clear that friendship was the furthest boundary I could reach, and I've long since been satisfied with that potential-"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Can we <em>PLEASE</em>," Keth snarled, "discuss the <em>issue at hand</em>?" They both silenced immediately and returned their attention to her. "It is pitch dark out, and in my experience, the Beasts get more nasty at nightfall. What's more, this ravine-" she jerked her head, regretting the motion as a hot spike of pain rocketed through her chest. She took a second to compose herself before continuing. "I've come across it on my travels before. It's miles long, and I didn't even know about <em>that</em> sorry excuse for a bridge, let alone any others. On top of that, I'd wager that neither of you can see in the dark like my kind can. We'd be hard-pressed to navigate back to the caravan tonight, even if I wasn't beat to shit."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"So what does that mean for us?" Elias asked.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Keth screwed up her face. "It means we're roughing it for the night, <em>pretty boy</em>," she spat. "And <em>you're</em> taking first watch." She spotted a somewhat sheltered tree nearby and began limping toward it. "I need to sleep some of this off before I'll be up to getting us anywhere."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">She felt Molly's hands steadying her. "Easy," she murmured. "Let me help patch you up. It's the least I can do." Keth nodded and allowed Molly to guide her the rest of the way. Elias lingered at the edge of the crevasse for a moment, staring across at Ziva's dark shape, before joining them.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"Your cow going to be alright?" he asked, thumbing in Ziva's direction.</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"She'll be fine," Keth said. "With any luck, she'll take care of your horse, too." Beside her, Molly tore strips of cloth from the hem of her pretty dress without hesitation and began to bind Keth's wound with a deft, delicate touch. The ring glinted in the soft moonlight that reached through the canopy, sparkling and blue like the night sky itself. "... Magic?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Molly followed her gaze and shook her head, a faint smile tugging at her mouth. "No. Just a convenient memento."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Elias settled in nearby. He produced a small journal from somewhere beneath his coat, scribbled in it for a moment, and then stowed it away again. "Who's the lucky spouse?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">Her smile widened, but her expression looked more sad than anything else. "A gentleman and a scholar. An inventor, of sorts."</p><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">"What's his name?"</p><hr/><p class="zw-paragraph heading0">The half-elven man ground his teeth and looked up at Kinna.</p><p>"Oliver," he answered. "My name is Oliver Thunderforge."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Special thanks to beta readers Jamie,and Tom!</p><p>Check out my other projects on https://www.thecalicodragon.net/</p><p>If you'd like to consider supporting me, you can find me on Kofi<br/>https://ko-fi.com/thecalicodragon</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Special thanks to beta readers Jamie, Morgan, and Tom!</p><p>Check out my other projects on https://www.thecalicodragon.net/</p><p>If you'd like to consider supporting me, you can find me on Kofi<br/>https://ko-fi.com/thecalicodragon</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>